Summary of this project to date comprises the following: I. During current studies of the caloric evaluation of lowering post-burn evaporative water loss using a partitional calorimeter, we have found that: 1. Post- burn hypermetabolism is related to post-burn evaporative water loss. 2. Post- burn evaporative water loss can be controlled in the unanesthetized, living, burned subject by topical application of ethyl linoleate. 3. Ethyl linoleate appears to have limited toxicity by intraperitoneal administration to the mouse. 4. It has not been possible to culture any organisms in vitro in ethyl linoleate. II. The on-going project will include: a. Further in vivo evaluation of the material to confirm conclusively that lowering post- burn evaporative water loss lowers metabolic heat production and the ethyl linoleate can be used as the agent to accomplish this. B. Evaluation of the agent on incrementially older burns. C. Determining the compatibility of the agent with currently-used topical anti- bacterial burn agents D. Extending the toxicologic and bacteriologic investigation of ethyl linoleate.